So Teachers are kissing students now?

Yesterday, a teacher, Matthew Nesser, at Edward Hynes Charter School was booked on one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile. The allegations in this case, which took place in my own city of New Orleans, are sickening and as a father, hard to stomach.

This grown man is accused of rubbing this young 14 year old student’s back, kissing her repeatedly, and buying her gifts such as jewelry, chocolate, and cards for her birthday and Valentine’s Day. He allegedly confided in this 14 year old young girl and reportedly broke down crying in front of her several times proclaiming he loved her.

The incidents were reported to the authorities by the young girl’s mother and the 14-year-old has undergone a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center, but I say to you the damage has been done and her innocence has been compromised severely.

I cannot ignore news like this. As a father, protector and provider, I feel the need to address it head on and move some furniture around up in here to make something shake. Having a daughter brings out the tenderness in the hardest man, and I know if this were my daughter, I would probably take names first and ask questions later; there would probably be a physical confrontation.

Our children are all some of us have. I’m trying to wrap my head around how and why something like this is happening in our schools. The innocence of a girl in the prime of her life, who is about to enter high school, has been violated. Why is this happening in our classrooms? What could have been done to prevent it?

One child is one is too many and this situation needs to be addressed openly by Superintendent Henderson Lewis. Who knows where else these types of unacceptable, heinous actions are happening in our schools.

Every adult in that school building, including Principal Michelle Douglas, has failed this young lady. The school’s board chair, Alvin Miester III has failed this young lady and her family. Board member Sarah Usdin and the rest of the OPSB have failed this young lady and her family. We, as a community, have also failed to protect and provide a safe space for our most precious of resources, our children.

The only recourse is action. The school board members should know of your concerns. The Superintendent should know of them as well. When Edward Hynes holds the next board meeting on Monday, June 4th, 2018, they should have an unprecedented packed house telling them how they feel. Those in attendance should walk away knowing what solutions are being put in place to prevent this from occurring again.

Yes, there will be an investigation and I’m not sure what the results will be. But, the fact remains that one of our daughters has been put in a situation that she should never have experienced in life. So, I say to you again one is too many!